


No Beginning or End

by thattrainssailed



Series: Scrawled in the Margins [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Mild Henry James bashing, My personal vendetta against Turn of the Screw, PhD Student Alec, Pre-Relationship, Professor Magnus, Professor Ragnor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 17:23:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14835959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thattrainssailed/pseuds/thattrainssailed
Summary: Still being in the writing stage of his thesis means that Alec isn’t even considered as a candidate for an office of his own, but luckily Ragnor rolled his eyes at this and quietly set up an extra desk and chair in his own space in the department. It’s small, but as he makes his way through the halls, Alec is eternally grateful that he gets to retire to an office and doesn’t have to scavenge for a spot in the library.His relief lasts all of eight seconds, because Magnus Bane is standing in the doorframe of Ragnor’s office.





	No Beginning or End

English Lit wasn’t something Alec has always had his heart set on. As a kid he’d been mildly curious about a number of different jobs until he was old enough to understand what the word “expectations” meant. In Alec’s case, it meant law school, as per the family tradition.  
  
Needless to say, his parents had been less than happy to find out that Alec had taken an English Lit class as an elective in his first semester and promptly but quietly changed his major.   
  
Seven years later and here he is, working on his doctoral thesis on _Atonement_ . Well, not at this exact moment. Right now he’s faced with a room full of bored-looking first years staring at their laptop screens, universally more interested in Facebook than in Professor Fell’s powerpoint on Turn of the Screw. Alec can’t say he exactly blames them. Ragnor may usually be a pretty engaging lecturer, but Henry James and fragmentism are a lot for a Monday morning. If Alec wasn’t so keen to stay in his supervisor’s good books, he may well be nodding off himself. He’s come a long way since he was an eighteen-year-old fumbling his way through an essay on framing, but some things never go away. His apathy towards Henry James is one such thing.   
  
Ragnor’s closing statements about the governess’ sanity are met with as much enthusiasm as the rest of the lecture. It’s a rather stark contrast to the flurry of movement that immediately sweeps the room with the words “that’s all for today.” The students fly out the room even as Ragnor reminds them of their essay’s oncoming due date. He sighs and turns to Alec.   
  
“First years,” he says, and follows them out the door. Alec takes a moment longer to collect his things before doing the same. Still being in the writing stage of his thesis means that Alec isn’t even considered as a candidate for an office of his own, but luckily Ragnor rolled his eyes at this and quietly set up an extra desk and chair in his own space in the department. It’s small, but as he makes his way through the halls, Alec is eternally grateful that he gets to retire to an office and doesn’t have to scavenge for a spot in the library.   
  
His relief lasts all of eight seconds, because Magnus Bane is standing in the doorframe of Ragnor’s office.   
  
Magnus is the resident authority on Gothic Literature and quite possibly the most universally praised professor on campus. He convenes a class on the vampire myth in modern literature, a unit that has been met with near universal praise. Even those who don’t mesh with his teaching style can’t fault his energy and expertise - nor his fashion, for that matter. Handsome, deeply intelligent, and sharp as a whip, Magnus is one of the more well-known members of the English Literature department.   
  
Alec’s also had the world’s largest crush on him since he saw him at a postgraduate information night four years ago.   
  
Since joining the faculty as a TA when he began his PhD, Alec has had the opportunity to have a few conversations with Magnus. Unfortunately, his brain has never quite been ready to take those opportunities - he generally ends up going silent for most of the interaction before making a hasty excuse to go take advantage of the bar tab at whatever faculty drinks event they’re at. Now, devoid of that option, Alec still seriously considers sprinting across campus to the bar before either professor realises he’s there.   
  
Unluckily, the halt of his footsteps get Magnus’ attention. A smile catches on his face when he sees Alec and something twists in the younger man’s stomach.   
  
“Mr. Lightwood,” Magnus says in way of greeting.   
  
“Dr. Bane,” Alec responds. The formality slips out before he can stop it. “Uh… hi.”   
  
“Dear Ragnor and I were just discussing you. He tells me your work on McEwan is coming along well.” He smiles and Jesus Christ, how is Alec supposed to engage in high-brow literary criticism when he’s so fucking gay right now?   
  
“Yeah, I um… I’m looking at how he constructs metafiction as a brand of realism right now, but I-I’m having a little trouble wording the uh, the stuff about war.” His slightly dull stutter is a truly fascinating contrast to the screaming currently going on in Alec’s head.   
  
“I can see that,” Magnus says with a smile. He’s teasing, eyes crinkled at the edges. Alec attempts a smile back, thankfully succeeding, although the heat in his cheeks can absolutely fuck off.   
  
“For God’s sake, Magnus, stop harassing my student and get back to your damn vampires.”   
  
“You wound me, Ragnor. You ought to be grateful for the light I bring to your drab office.” He spreads his arms dramatically and then drops them with a sigh. “Very well, if you insist. I’ll forward that email after my next class.” He steps away from the door and down the hallway. He pauses briefly before casting a glance back at Alec and smiling.   
  
“See you, Mr. Lightwood,” he says, and disappears around the corner.   
  
Alec allows himself a few seconds to take a deep breath and get his shit together before stepping into the office. Ragnor’s raised eyebrows and slight smile are met with flushed silence. Pulling his chair in at the desk, Alec pulls a battered version of _Atonement_ from his bag and hopes Briony Tallis will distract him from bright smiles and flourishes.   


**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted to my [tumblr](https://thattrainssailed.tumblr.com/), but I decided I wanted to make it a series so now it's here (with minor edits)! I'm looking forward to writing more in this series, since I am a huge English Lit loser.
> 
> The title comes from a quote by Graham Greene: “A story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.”


End file.
